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Air Conditioning Repair: Cooling Off Your Home’s Hot Spots | Dallas, TX

Air Conditioning Repair: Cooling Off Your Home’s Hot Spots | Dallas, TX

You’ve seen your monthly energy bills in summer. You’ve made the payments. So, you’re probably thinking that for the amount of money you pay, you shouldn’t be contending with hot spots around your home. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for Dallas, TX, houses to develop hot spots. You may find that a back bedroom doesn’t seem to cool off or your upstairs feels warm and sticky. When temperatures climb, your AC unit works overtime, but hot spots could be a sign that you need air conditioning repair or maintenance. One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas features highly trained HVAC technicians who can get to the bottom of your hot spot problem. Our technicians are certified and experienced. When you need air conditioning repair at your Dallas, TX, home, we can handle it.

What Causes Hot Spots?

With ductwork and vents and over your home, you might be baffled why your AC unit isn’t cooling certain areas. First of all, hot spots shouldn’t occur. Central air conditioning systems are designed to provide consistent cooling for your home’s entire square footage. So, if a hot spot or several hot spots have developed, there’s usually a problem that needs addressing. In some cases, you might be able to make the adjustment yourself. On the other hand, hot spots might require professional air conditioning repair. To deal with a hot spot, it’s helpful to know what it’s occurring, but there are a few different possibilities to consider.

Clogged Air Filter

A dirty air filter can cause all sorts of issues for your AC unit, and a hot spot is one of them. Air filters need to be changed periodically. If the filter becomes clogged, it will impede the unit’s airflow. If air can’t adequately circulate through vents, hot spots can develop. In fact, cold spots can develop in areas of your home too. This type of inconsistent cooling can make for an uncomfortable interior climate.

Keep in mind that a dirty airflow can wreak havoc on your unit in other ways too. When the filter is caked with dirt, the system finds it hard to draw in an adequate supply of warm air. The cooler air that passes through the system can then cause your evaporator coil to freeze. Dirty filters force AC units to work extra hard, which puts extra strain on parts. When your AC system works overtime because you need an air conditioning repair, you’ll also experience higher energy bills–even higher than what you usually pay during the summer.

If you contact One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas, we’ll check your air filter and change it if needed. A dirty or clogged air filter isn’t the only cause of hot spots, but it’s a common cause, and also a common cause for other AC problems that require air conditioning repair service.

Blocked Air Vents

Blocked air vents are a primary reason why hot spots develop in houses. Your air conditioning system relies on its ducts to draw in warm air and return cool air back to the living space. If your air vents are blocked, the system can’t push cool air into the space. If the intake vent, which pulls warm air into the system for cooling, can’t draw the air in, the unit won’t be able to provide adequate cool air circulation.

Before you contact One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas for air conditioning repair service, check to be sure that the vents aren’t blocked. Sometimes household members don’t realize that they’ve moved furniture in front of a vent. Sometimes kids pile their toys in front of a vent. By checking your vents or having an air conditioning repair professional check them to make sure there are no obstructions to the airflow, you can rule out this possibility as a cause of your home’s hot spots.

Air Vents Are Purposely Closed

Some people think that they can save money by closing air vents to rooms they don’t spend time in at home. While this may seem perfectly logical, it can actually have a negative effect on your home’s cooling system. Closing air vents can actually cause damage to your AC unit’s blower motor, requiring air conditioning repair. The fact is, closing vents doesn’t save you money; it simply puts stress on your AC unit that is likely to cost you eventually.

Just because you find rooms in your home less useful in summer, your AC unit relies on these spaces as part of its airflow system. When the vents are closed, pressure build-up can occur in the system, which causes your AC unit to work much harder to distribute cool air where you do want it in your home.

Don’t forget that closing rooms off can cause other unpleasant issues too such as the development of mold and mildew. Condensation occurs when you close the registers of a room. This moisture is all that’s needed to trigger a mold problem. An air conditioning repair service can help.

Poorly Placed Thermostat

Another common cause of hot spots in homes is a poorly situated thermostat. Your thermostat’s main function is to communicate with your air conditioner (or furnace) about how much cool air it needs to deliver to achieve the set temperature. If the thermostat is not placed in an area where it can get a good ambient temperature reading, it can’t provide accurate instruction for the AC unit. The result can be the development of hot spots in the home.

If your thermostat is not placed in a good location or is malfunctioning, you can contact One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas and we’ll send a certified air conditioning repair specialist to your Dallas, TX, home. We can troubleshoot the hot spot problem. If it’s related to your thermostat, we can provide the best solution to the problem.

Air Leaks

Before the hot season, it’s a good idea to inspect your home’s exterior looking for signs of cracks and gaps. Cracks, gaps, and holes allow cool air to slip out of the home and warm air to enter. Air leaks are common occurrences, but they’re also not difficult to fix in most cases. Many Dallas, TX, can provide DIY repairs for small cracks and holes using a bit of caulk.

Keep in mind that just because you can’t find air leaks doesn’t mean that none exist. At some point, it may be worthwhile for you to contact your energy company to perform an energy audit. During the audit, air conditioning repair technicians can pinpoint where air leaks are occurring. These leaks cause your HVAC system to work overtime, which also causes your energy bills to increase.

Ductwork Leaks

Ductwork leaks are another common cause for hot spots. If you have leaks in your ducts, the cold air that’s meant to cool a space effectively could be leaking through a crack in the duct. This means that less cool air is making it into the room in question. Ductwork can develop cracks or small holes as it ages. Yet, even very small openings can compromise the functionality of your AC unit.

If your home has always had hot spots, it’s possible that the ducts have been improperly installed or not designed well. Our air conditioning repair technician can inspect the ductwork to determine if this is the problem at your home. One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas can thoroughly inspect your ductwork to make sure that leaks are not the cause of your hot spots.

Solar Heat Gain

Hot spots can develop in your home in places that are vulnerable to solar heat gain. For instance, spaces that receive direct sunlight may become hotter than other areas of the house. In these situations, you probably don’t require air conditioning repair; however, you do want to take some measures to reduce the problem.

To reduce solar heat gain, consider installing UV-resistant blinds or shades. Also, keep your window coverings closed when the sun is most intense. Some Dallas, TX, homeowners choose to install tinted film on their windows to guard against solar heat. Others choose to plant trees or shrubs to block direct sunlight through windows or to provide the home with more shade.

Wrong Size AC Unit

If your house has hot spots or doesn’t seem to be adequately cooling, it’s possible that the AC unit itself is simply not the right size for your home. Air conditioning units that are too small for the square footage of your home can’t properly cool it. The unit will work hard, cycling on frequently in an attempt to maintain the home’s cool temperature, but it will lack the capacity to do so. In these situations, hot spots can occur. Call an air conditioning repair professional to help!

Hot spots aren’t the only problems that pop up when AC units are too small. Because these units have to work overtime frequently in order to cool your house, they can break down more frequently. You’re likely to place more calls for air conditioning repair service when your AC system is inadequate to meet the cooling needs of the house.

Unfortunately, if this is the case for your home, the best course of action you can take is to replace the existing unit with one that’s sized right for the house. Otherwise, your air conditioning repair costs are likely to escalate and your hot spot problem will continue or even get worse.

If you decide to replace your current air conditioning system with a new one, be sure to consult with One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas. We will make certain that any system we install at your home is the right size to cool it. Installing a new HVAC system is always best left to certified HVAC professionals who have the experience and expertise needed to avoid common installation problems.

Floor Plan Renovations

If you updated your home’s floor plan with renovations but didn’t upgrade your HVAC system, that could be why your house has hot spots. Failing to address ductwork changes or increased cooling needs could be a problem for your home after it’s been renovated. Many homeowners pair their home renovations with HVAC upgrades to ensure that the system can properly heat and cool the changed floor plan. If you add a new addition to your home, your AC unit may not be overtaxed and struggling to maintain your thermostat’s temperature setting.

Malfunctioning AC System

How old is your HVAC unit? If it’s always cooled off your home adequately but you recently experienced hot spots, the problem could be that your unit is getting old and starting to malfunction. Of course, even newer units may require air conditioning repair from time to time. As you may know, your air conditioning system is made up of lots of electrical and mechanical parts. Even the most robust and quality manufactured units have to work hard to cool homes during those intensely hot Dallas, TX, summers.

Over time, the parts and components of your AC system will suffer from wear and tear. When you contact One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas, we can send a skilled air conditioning repair technician to your house to inspect your AC unit. Our techs will look for signs of wearing parts or parts that may have failed. These problems could be preventing your unit from operating properly.

You can often head off wearing part problems by contacting One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas for an annual springtime inspection and tune-up. Our technicians can replace worn-out parts before they can cause summer breakdowns or reduce your unit’s ability to cool your house.

Hot spots are not pleasant, but when you have an HVAC company you can rely on like One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas, you can get the air conditioning repair service needed to keep your Dallas, TX, home cool and comfortable all summer long. Contact us to place a service call or to schedule your routine AC maintenance and inspection.

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